string gauge tryout ahead

Loserchief

Loserchief

SwingingIdiot
recently i noticed that pick attack has become lighter and that i play with low action and light touch anyways.
The elixir 12-52 set i was using for quite some time now makes me feel like i'm less in-touch with my guitars. Like i'm fighting the guitar and not playing it.
Also my 7-string which has a 68 for the low A needs a new low string since i find the top-end aggressivness to be lacking(Dino Cazares uses a 54 for the Low B/A and gets some serious tone).
I've been using massive strings for a long time now but with the change in my playing style and my tonal desire i'm gonna use my Schecter C-7 Hellraiser as a testbed to try out all the regularly available gauges and see what really suits the tone i have in mind and the feel i desire.
I'm using the 7-string for testing since i can determine the new gauge for the 7th string along with the gauge i want for regular 6-string.

Gauges i'm going to try through(using mainly dean markley nickel steels and two d'addario single strings) are:

9-42 + 54
9-46 + 56
10-46 + 56
11-52 + 60

the d'addario single string i ordered are a 59 and 64 which i might try out as different low strings if i feel it could work out.

I'm basicaly totally reconsidering my choice of string gauges with this experiment and i'll keep you guys posted on my observations considering tone and feel. it might take some time since i don't want to throw a set on and discard it in a matter of minutes just because the first impression could be strange
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

If you have a nut cut for 12's, going down to 9's or even 10's could cause some buzz...
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I know,but buzz can be reduced with a good setup or in the worst case a new nut, but the schecter is the best testing ground for now
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Right on. If you're anything like me and don't pound the strings but want some fullness, I think you'll be pleased with the 9-46 set. Enjoy!
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Yeah, my fretting touch is really light and my picking has developed from rather heavy attack to a more fluent and economic style of picking where i let the amp do more of the work instead of pounding the strings to get volume out of it. And of course 12s just aren't lead-friendly. Also the thicker you go on the low strings the less bite and attack you get on palm mutes.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Cool. You're actually doing something, rather than speaking volumes about stuff on the internet. :D Keep us posted, will be interesting to see your findings.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Ya know changing string gauge can make a guitar feel completely different. I use 10-52 on all my guitars but this weekend I put a set of fatties on one of mine and in truth it plays ike a brickyard but it has a KILLER chord sound!!
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I'm going back to 9-42 after using 10-46 the last couple years. With us playing out a lot now and those 3 x 1 hour sets, my hands just need to be a little more comfortable. I like the 10's but I've been feeling small cramps in my left hand after a while, and that's with about a 20 minute warm-up before we even start the first set. I've mentioned it to my doctor before and he wasn't quite sure what I could do other than trying lighter strings. He's not a player but he gets the tension increase with thicker strings.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I guess i should have the strings tomorrow or on thursday. I'll just start with 9-54 and go up from there, giving each set some playing time to get the feel and tone of it and then change up for the next,higher gauge. Or should i start with 10s as the middle ground and try both the lighter and the heavier gauges after working the 10s? In any case i'll keep a testing protocol and will post either on this thread or a new one.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Dean Markley makes a blue steel 10-52 and it's AWESOME

it's light top heavy bottom which is cool, and what's crazy is even the low strings bend easier than the d'addario 11-49's I tried switching to.

I really, really, really dig em
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

drew_half_empty said:
Dean Markley makes a blue steel 10-52 and it's AWESOME

it's light top heavy bottom which is cool, and what's crazy is even the low strings bend easier than the d'addario 11-49's I tried switching to.

I really, really, really dig em
Click to expand...

I've used the Blue Steel 11-52s a lot before going with elixirs. I'm still using 12-52 for the regular 6-string but i feel i will end up with something thinner than i'm using now. it's not about bendability but a certain aggessiveness in the highs and the attack that doens't show with really thick strings.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

drew_half_empty said:
Dean Markley makes a blue steel 10-52 and it's AWESOME

it's light top heavy bottom which is cool, and what's crazy is even the low strings bend easier than the d'addario 11-49's I tried switching to.

I really, really, really dig em
Click to expand...

Blue Steels are awesome in every gauge. I love them over any other string I've tried.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I restrung my #1 last night with Blue Steel 9-42 (my favs) and that guitar just plain out sounds and plays better with them versus the 10-46 that I had been using. I'm just more comfortable with that gauge. No problems pushing the strings off the board or anything.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I didn't order blue steels this time since i wanted to be sure about the gauge before investing the xtra money,so i went with regular markleys. I'm a DM user since they send me two sets of alchemy strings for free so that i could see for myself the difference between phosbronze and goldphos. When i find the gauge i want i'll probably order several packs of blue steels but for testing purposes the upcharge is unnecessary
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

Loserchief said:
I've used the Blue Steel 11-52s a lot before going with elixirs. I'm still using 12-52 for the regular 6-string but i feel i will end up with something thinner than i'm using now. it's not about bendability but a certain aggessiveness in the highs and the attack that doens't show with really thick strings.
Click to expand...

well the top 3 are 10, 13, and 17 i believe which is the same as most 10-46 sets

may be a good compromise so you don't lose the heavyness that made you want big strings to begin with
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I've got some Nickelsteels too. Those are my second choice when I can't afford the Blue Steels. I've been using DM strings for over 10 years now. Tried a couple other brands just for the heck of it but didn't like them as much.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

drew_half_empty said:
well the top 3 are 10, 13, and 17 i believe which is the same as most 10-46 sets

may be a good compromise so you don't lose the heavyness that made you want big strings to begin with
Click to expand...

i know what a 10-52 set looks like and i know that they can sound great it's just that my left hand touch and my picking style have become rather light. This change is probably a result of me turning more into the tech death direction where trem picking and fast single notes are really important. The 10-52s have their use but i think the heavy low-strings aren't for me anymore. I bought a pack of 11-52s+60 in case i can't get away from the heavy strings but i think i won't need it.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

ErikH said:
I'm going back to 9-42 after using 10-46 the last couple years. With us playing out a lot now and those 3 x 1 hour sets, my hands just need to be a little more comfortable. I like the 10's but I've been feeling small cramps in my left hand after a while, and that's with about a 20 minute warm-up before we even start the first set.
Click to expand...

+1. Why have strings that "fight back?" At some age you may pay the price with arthritis. I think players ought to use the heaviest gauge they can, until it affects their playing style. Then adjust your PU's & amp accordingly to get your tone. I'd rather play well with 9's, than not as well with 10's. When you exceed your comfort threshold, you're focusing too much on the strings and adapting your playing to fit them (by doing less of what causes discomfort or pain). The focus should be on technique & creativity. Pain tends to inhibit that delicate interplay.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

So i detuned my Schecter Hellraiser to F# resulting in the first 6 strings(the 12-52 set) being in B standard which is about equal to a 7-string set of 9s minus high E. I gotta say i love the tone and feel for the most part.
There's alot more clarity now when chording on the low B and E and everything has more attack and bite than before. Also it's a lot easier on my hands and i feel like i can double up the tempo on some riffs i wrote.
I've also tried going down to E on the seventh resulting in A for the rest of the strings. it felt too loose for riffing. i guess 9-46+56 will turn out great for A(i prefer A over B) from these tests. I love thin high strings but i need a bit of fullness on the lows so i guess it should work. But i will post results when i get the real sets on the guitar.
 
Re: string gauge tryout ahead

I used those Dean Markley Blue Steel 10-52's for a long, long time but I'll tell ya somethin...they are hard as all get out on frets!!! I liked them pretty well but the first day they were on they were brittle and after 2 days they were dead so I only have like one good day where they sounded great...
 
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